Author: cbarney.45

Doing is better than saying, but delegating is better than doing.

Well done is better than well said.
“Well done is better than well said.” – Benjamin Franklin

I think of Ben Franklin’s quote above in two ways. The first is how I believe he meant for it to come out, which is being a smooth talker and having a quick wit is great, but you need to be able to actually accomplish what you say for it to mean anything. (Talk is cheap.)

The second part related to this quote is that I don’t think it matters whether you are the one who is physically doing the work or if you delegate it (using your words to convey the purpose/inspiring others to take action to accomplish the goal). That doesn’t matter – it’s about the end result. In that case, saying it well can lead to doing it well (by others).

Do you think Elon Musk is working on a space shuttle, turning a wrench on a Tesla, or doing the bulk of the engineering work to bore a tunnel under Los Angeles? Is Jeff Bezos packaging and delivering each Amazon order? They’re working on their business and focusing on the big picture to move their companies forward. It is still very important to do the other things, or else the companies would go out of business, but without growth, stagnation creeps in and other companies will eventually catch/pass them.

When starting a business, you’ll probably have to do the majority of the work yourself or as part of a small team. That’s probably a good idea because it allows you to have a better understanding of best practices, what not to do, etc. But you will eventually reach capacity (there’s only one of you and so many hours in a day). At that point (or, hopefully, before you reach capacity) you need to think of hiring others to help you. You can then delegate the work that doesn’t need to be done by you anymore. The end result is the same (it gets done), but you get to focus more on the big picture/expanding your business. If you don’t do this, and you are always the one doing the work, the only difference between you and an employee is that you own your job. You’re not a business yet. Because if you get hurt, sick, or want to take a vacation, guess who’s not making money? You.

Have at least a basic understanding of how to do things well, but it is equally important to learn how to say things well, as that is what will eventually free you from the “rat race.”

A rough draft of my core values

Defining the core values for my life/business…

1. Always try your best, but have fun while doing it. Life is too short to not have fun. You should enjoy what you do, but that doesn’t mean you should just “coast.” Work hard, play hard. Try your best to become the best. How can you become an expert in whatever it is you do? You may not have the most natural talent, but that’s out of your control. You can always control your effort and your attitude.

2. Put people over profit. If you value making the right decision/doing what’s best for others, people will like and trust you, leading to repeat business or referrals. Treat people like people and the profits will come. You may take a hit in the short-term, but in the long run you will be better off for it.

3. Be humbly confident. You need to have confidence in yourself or else how can you expect others to have confidence in you? You need to believe that you can figure everything out – even if it means asking for help. But the key is to be confident without being arrogant. Be humble. You don’t need to brag to everyone about how great you are. Let your actions do the talking. Stand out straight, keep your head up, look people in the eyes, walk with purpose, and speak clearly, succinctly, and loudly.

4. Be a dreamer AND a doer. You should have big dreams/goals. People won’t understand it. They’ll say it’s not realistic. And they’re right, if you only dream, but don’t take action. Have big dreams, set a plan, then take action immediately. What are you doing today that is bringing you closer to your goals/dreams/ambitions?

5. Perseverance. If you’re setting worthy goals, you will often stumble on your way towards success. But you have to keep going. Don’t let little setbacks affect you. You’ll get through this hardship faster by continuing to move/take action.

Random thoughts on mindset, boredom, taking action, and failure…

Embrace challenge. Work on mindset. Your situation becomes as good or as bad as you tell yourself. Manage your emotions/beliefs.

Be ok with boredom. Notice what you’re thinking of. Use this to your advantage. Be creative. Don’t have too much structure. Be flexible. “Be like water.”

Take action. Learning/acquiring new information is good, but doesn’t do much for you if you don’t act on what you learned.

Live to fight another day. Don’t give up. Be persistent. Things may not have gone your way this time, but if you keep chipping away at success (steadily/consistently), you will get there.

“Failure” is final. You don’t fail unless you quit. Use the experience from disappointment to learn from and gain in the future.

Thinking big when setting goals

Your only limiting factor is how quickly you can accept the expansion. Are you thinking big? Or are you thinking small?

If you set small goals, you might achieve them. But you’ll never truly be inspired to complete them. Without passion/desire, you’ll either achieve your goals and not care OR stop trying to reach your goals because you don’t care. Either way, thinking small leads to small actions.

If you set big, hairy audacious goals, you’ll get excited to work towards them. You’ll hit some bumps in the road, but that is to be expected. Keep going! If you can find ways to persevere and overcome obstacles, you’ll eventually make it to where you want to go. Whatever you think you need to do to achieve your goal, double the action. Some would even say to do 10 times what you think you need to do!

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” –Les Brown

Set big goals. They should excite you. They might make you nervous to say out loud. But speak your goals. Tell anyone who will listen. Write them down. Read them each morning. Think about them throughout the day and ask yourself at night what you did that day to get you closer to reaching your goal(s). Every journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. Keep walking in the right direction and you’ll get to your destination.

A person of action makes mistakes

“The only man who doesn’t make mistakes is a man who does nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt.

Take time to think. Sit down by yourself, without distractions – no phone, laptop, or tv – and think about what you want in life. What goals do you have?

After discovering your goals, write them down. Then think about what it will take to reach those goals. Figure out what the most important action steps are.

Finally, give yourself a deadline on how long you have to research/minimize risk. But once you hit that deadline, make sure you take action. Understand that you will make mistakes. But anyone who has ever tried something great has made mistakes. If you don’t make mistakes, you haven’t set your goal high enough.

Challenge yourself. Embrace the suck. Be comfortable being uncomfortable (and making mistakes). Be a person of action who is always trying to improve.